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Ouagadougou - Tuareg and Arab rebels, who control northern
Mali, announced on Thursday the suspension of negotiations with the Bamako
government, dealing a blow to hopes of a durable peace.

The central issue is the future status of northern Mali,
which the Tuareg movements call 'Azawad'. The rebels are seeking autonomy,
something the central government is unwilling to discuss.

"Following multiple difficulties in implementing the
Ouagadougou accord, caused notably by the Mali government's failure to respect
its commitments," the Tuareg and Arab rebel groups "decided to
suspend participation in the structures created by the said accord," they
said in a joint statement.

The three movements involved dated the decision from
18 September, the date of the second meeting of the joint committee set under
the ceasefire accord signed in July.

The rebels seized control of northern Mali in the chaos that
followed an army rebellion which overthrew the democratically-elected
government of president Amadou Toumani Toure on 22 March 2012.

The rebelling army officers were angry at the level of
support they had received to combat the separatist Tuareg rebellion which was
already under way in the north.

The Tuareg seized control of an area larger than France
before being ousted by al-Qaeda-linked groups that imposed a brutal
interpretation of Islamic law on the local population, carrying out amputations
and executions.

Their actions drew worldwide condemnation and their march
south prompted France to launch a military offensive in January at Mali's
behest to oust the Islamists.

The Ouagadougou accord,which ended the 18-month
politico-military crisis in Mali, allowed for a presidential election in July
which brought Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to power.

Under the deal the government and rebels agreed to respect
the country's territorial integrity and to hold peace talks, focussed on the
status of the north.

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